The Antioxidant We’re Not Talking About (But Should Be)

Protects your heart, brain, hormones & even helps fight plastic toxicity—why aren’t more of us getting enough?

You’ve probably heard plenty about the power players when it comes to antioxidants:
💚 Catechins from green tea
🍊 Vitamin C from berries
🌱 Curcumin from turmeric

They’re fantastic. And I’m genuinely glad more people are becoming aware of their benefits. But there’s one that’s flying way too far under the radar—a nutrient that deserves a permanent spot in the wellness conversation:

Anthocyanins.

Wait—what are anthocyanins?

If you’ve ever eaten blueberries, blackcurrants, red cabbage, elderberries, purple potatoes, or even eggplant—you’ve had them. Anthocyanins (and their sister compounds, anthocyanidins) are the plant pigments responsible for that deep blue, purple, or reddish hue.

But they’re more than just pretty colors. These are powerful compounds with real, functional benefits—especially when it comes to:

🛡 Reducing oxidative stress (which causes inflammation - the key driver of chronic diseases)
🐢 Slowing down cellular aging
🧬 Protecting our cells from damage

Now, here’s the catch (and it’s a big one): Most of us aren’t getting nearly enough.¹

🔹 The average daily intake in the U.S.? Just 12.5mg/day.

For reference, many of the studies showing real benefits used doses of 200–400mg/day.

There’s no official daily recommended intake for anthocyanins—unlike vitamins or minerals—but if your goal is vibrant, resilient, long-term health (not just scraping by), aiming for at least 50mg/day is a great place to start, but studies I mention below generally use between 200-400mg, and at the end of the article, I’ll tell you how to get this amount with food.

Let’s take a look at the science of their benefits - and start with one of the most pressing epidemics America is facing right now - the metabolic health crisis.

88% of Americans are metabolically unhealthy (i.e., poor blood sugar, high cholesterol, belly fat) - and anthocyanins can help!

Insulin Resistance and Type-2 Diabetes

Blueberries can even help improve blood sugar control.

In one small study, people with insulin resistance (a precursor to Type-2 Diabetes) drank smoothies with or without blueberries daily for 6 weeks.² Compared to the group that drank the smoothie without blueberries, the blueberry group had a greater increase in insulin sensitivity (i.e., they had better blood sugar control).

And the benefits don’t stop there.

A 2018 study pooled data from over 300,000 people and found that flavonoids—the broader family of antioxidants that anthocyanins belong to—were linked to an 11% reduced risk of developing Type-2 Diabetes.³

Even better?

The data showed a dose-response relationship—in other words, the more you consumed, the more benefit you got. For every additional 300mg of flavonoids per day, diabetes risk dropped by about 5%.

Anthocyanins, flavonols, flavan-3-ols (rich in 🍇🍓 fruits and 🍆vegetables), and isoflavones (soy) all showed significant effects.

So if you hear another person on social media tell you (whole) fruits are bad for you because they spike your blood sugar, share this study with them. Whole fruits in their unprocessed forms are rich in water, minerals, vitamins, fiber, flavanols, and anthocyanins, which ALL can help improve blood sugar control.

Detox from microplastics

Microplastics are nearly impossible to avoid these days—but the good news is, anthocyanin may offer a way to protect ourselves from some of their harmful effects.

💥 In animal studies, micro- and nanoplastics (MPs/NPs) have been shown to:

• Accumulate in testicular tissue within 24 hours, lowering sperm quality and testosterone.⁴

• Trigger cell damage in the uterus and ovaries.⁵

• Cross the placenta and potentially harm both mother and baby.⁶

But here’s the hopeful part. A recent review in 2024 found anthocyanins were shown to⁷: